A strong social media presence was important for brands pre-pandemic, but now it’s even more essential. As the world returns to this new normal, consumers expect businesses to keep engaging with them extensively in online spaces. This personal, convenient communication is something users will look for as a baseline now. Your social media persona is just as important as your in-person brand in 2021. To be successful, avoid making these five common social media mistakes.
1. Irrelevant Communication
What you’re saying is just as important as how frequently you’re saying it. In a post-pandemic world, consumers are much less tolerant of communications they deem irrelevant or spammy. They’re looking for valuable, informative and on-trend communication.
Don’t fill your newsletter subject line with needless emojis. Do incorporate some levity if it’s appropriate to your brand. Don’t overwhelm your followers with unnecessary content multiple times a day. Be sure to understand and follow the trends for your target audience.
2. Boring Content
Striking a balance between quantity and quality should be common sense, but it’s a mistake entrepreneurs make frequently. There’s no room for low-quality content in 2021. Consumers have short attention spans, so if you don’t grab their attention with engaging content, they’re lost to you.
3. Missing Out on Timely Conversations
One of the easiest ways to engage your audience is by jumping in on hot conversations. Remember The Dress debate? Brands were all posting about whether they thought the dress was blue and black or white and gold, and, without fail, they got great engagement. It was a flash-in-the-pan viral moment that gave brands the perfect opportunity to connect with their base in a fun and timely way.
If you aren’t keeping up with these types of simple, in-the-moment topics, you’re missing out on free, guaranteed engagement. Just remember that timing is everything. If you miss the moment, there’s no recovering it.
4. Not Tracking Analytics
It’s 2021. If you’re still just “winging it” with your social media reach, you’re making a huge mistake. You use KPIs in other aspects of business, and social media should be no different. Without measurable data, you have no way to tell if your social media marketing strategy is working.
A few of the most important KPIs are:
– Reach (how many users see your social channels)
– Engagement (the number of likes, shares, favorites and comments posts receive)
– Relevance (how often others mention your brand)
– Conversion (how many social media interactions turn into desirable actions for your brand)
5. Posting Without a Plan
There’s a time and place for off-the-cuff posts, such as jumping in on a viral trend. For the most part, though, you need a plan for your social media posts. If you’re juggling multiple platforms, it can be tempting to just cross-post the same content from one account to the others. Don’t fall into this trap!
Successful social media posts are tailored to the platform and audience. The best way to make a plan and stick with it is to use automatic post schedulers that let you manage all content across all platforms from a single dashboard. You can set each account’s content plan to unfold over a scheduled period and then simply let the data roll in.
Automatic marketing platforms like this typically have built-in analytics trackers, so important KPIs are easily accessible.